Art Professor Richard G. Mann recently received a scholarship from the Swedish Women’s Educational Association (SWEA) San Francisco chapter, to research his next book. His project is to undertake essential primary research for a book and other publications on the major Swedish artist Eugène Jansson (1862–1915) during a trip to Stockholm in January 2014 to visit museums and archives.
Jansson is still not well known outside of Scandinavia. Earlier research on the artist has, for the most part, focused on his nocturnal views of Stockholm, such as the famous paintings displayed at Waldemarsudde and Thielska galleries. However, from 1905 until the end of his life, Jansson painted mostly male nudes.
Mann will explore interconnections of Jansson’s personal life with his figural paintings in order to contribute to a fuller appreciation of his work. Mann intends to demonstrate Jansson’s pioneering role in the visualization of male homosexual identity in the early twentieth century, reinforcing the awareness of Swedish modernism as socially progressive. He will also consider Jansson’s very distinctive handling of paint and the dramatic changes of style, figure handling and composition evident in his final paintings. Mann will not only make the results of his research known nationally and locally through publications and public lectures, but also incorporate his findings into his courses.
Mann has published widely on various topics on European and American art and cultural history. His publications include El Greco and His Patrons and Spanish Paintings of the 15th Through 19th Centuries.
SWEA is a global nonprofit organization for Swedish-speaking women who live or have lived abroad. It is both a meeting point and a safety net with links all over the world, making life abroad easier, providing support when arriving in a new place or when returning to the homeland.